Super Bowl XLVI: 20 pregame facts

In this file photo, New York Giants' Eli Manning, right, is congratulated by New England Patriots' Tom Brady after the Giants' 24-20 win in an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots face the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, Feb. 5., in Indianapolis.

11 - When Manning takes the field Sunday, he will be the only Manning to play in Indianapolis this season. Older brother Peyton of the Indianapolis Colts sat out the entire season while recovering from neck surgery. Peyton and Eli Manning were back-to-back Super Bowl MVPs in 2006 and 2007.

12 - If New York wins, it will become the first team with a 9-7 regular season record to wind up as Super Bowl champions.

13 - Sunday’s game is the first Super Bowl hosted by Indianapolis. It marks the fourth time the Super Bowl has been played in a northern city in a domed stadium, in this case Lucas Oil Stadium. Pontiac, Mich.; Minneapolis; and Detroit are the other northern SB sites.

14 - When the Giants and Patriots met four years ago in Super Bowl XLII, the Giants spoiled New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in league history.

15 - An unusually high number of undrafted free agents populate both Super Bowl rosters. Eighteen play for the Patriots, 11 for the Giants, The Boston Globe reports.

16 - Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker easily led the league in pass receptions this season, with 122. The next most was 100, by Atlanta’s Roddy White.

17 - The Patriots’ pass defense ranked 31st out of 32 NFL teams during the regular season. The Giants were little better, at 29th.

18 - The two teams met in Week 9 of the regular season, when the Giants won, 24-20.

19 - The Giants had to defeat defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay and this year’s surprise contender, San Francisco, on the road in the playoffs to advance to Super Sunday.

20 - The Giants suffered four straight losses during the second half of the season before getting hot.